Another dog attacked by coyote on Boise Foothills trail – the third incident this year

A dog was attacked and injured by a coyote on a Boise Foothills trail last Monday, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. It’s the third coyote attack on dogs in the Boise trail system since June.

In a news release, Fish and Game officials said a large dog was attacked and bitten on the evening of Oct. 18 while hiking on the Chickadee Ridge Trail with its owner. The trail runs along a ridge northwest of the 8th Street Extension and connects to the Red Fox and Red-Winged Blackbird trails in Hulls Gulch.

Agency officials said “a lone coyote came out of the brush and attacked the dog, biting it once before the owner was able to scare it away.”

The incident happened close to the site of two other coyote attacks on dogs that occurred in early June. Those attacks — one of which was fatal — occurred on the Lower Hulls Gulch Trail.

Officials have warned trail users to give coyotes a wide berth, particularly in the spring when they’re protecting pups. Brian Pearson, spokesperson for the Fish and Game Southwest Region, said in an email to the Idaho Statesman that this behavior in the fall is more unusual. The agency is asking anyone who has on-trail encounters with coyotes to contact Fish and Game (at 208-465-8465 or by emailing ryan.walrath@idfg.idaho.gov) and the city of Boise (at ridgetorivers@cityofboise.org).

Pearson said there’s no way to tell if the animal involved in the Monday incident is the same animal involved in either of the June incidents.

“Coyotes do not have distinguishing markings, and none of these animals were tagged or marked artificially,” Pearson said.